Sunday, June 3, 2012

Commando's Fail To Break out of Sommerset

Hey all, first of two game reports from the weekend! Had an eventful weekend of killing and being killed by my fellow gamers.

Cut off in Somerset the Red Devils knew they needed to act. It was not feasable for them to be evacuated by sea so they headed off in the direction of Gloucester. In their way, Kampfgruppe VonThrockmorton.
The Game will be set at 1750 points in a hold the line scenario. VonThrock will be defending and Crazed Loon will be trying to break through. The objectives are set so that one sits far behind the other on the same road.

Crazed Loon's Commandos

HQ: Commando w/PIAT 60 pts

Platoon1: Full Commando Company 12 Stands 360 pts

Platoon2: Full Commando Company 12 stands 360 pts

Platoon3: Half Strength Company 6 Stands 195 pts

Platoon 3: Commando Mortar Platoon 2x Mortars 80 pts

Div Sipport 1: Corps Field Support 8x QQF 25 pdr gun 250 pts

Div Support 2: Limited Air Support Typhoon 170 pts

Div Support 3: Naval Gun Support 200 pts

Points: 1735

KG VonThrock

HQ: Panzer Grens w/faust 85 pts

Platoon1: Gpz Panzergrens with Faust HQ 230 pts

Platoon2: Gpz Panzergrens with Faust HQ 230 pts

Wep Plt1: Panzergren Hvy Mortar Plt 4x Mortars 165 pts

Div Support 1: 4x Panther G 750 Pts

Div Support 2: Heavy AT Platoon 2x PaK43/41 8.8's 215 pts

Warrior: VonThrock (VonSaucken) 65 pts

Points: 1740

SETUP AND DEPLOYMENT

VonThrock's Deployment

VonThrock Close Up

Loon's Deployment

Loon Close Up

UNITS IN RESERVE

Crazed Loon's Commandos

KG VonThrock

88's

Panthers

Mortars

DEPLOYMENT SUMMARY

Crazed Loon's Commandos: Loon: I'm bringing 2 full commandos companies with an under strength 3rd. But way more arty is coming along this time. I've gone full up on royal artillery, naval guns a commando mortar section and limited air support.
My plan in the opening moves of the game is going to be push fast and push hard to one side with a smaller contingent of my commandos taking the other. Hopefully this will force Throck to decide if he rather concentrate his force to the heavy side and leave his flank unprotected or stay spread out and not have enough to deal with the hard push.
KG VonThrock: Throck: Going for my, quickly becoming standard, Gpz Panzergrens. I dont' there's just something I love about motorized troops. I've added VonSaucken this time in the hopes of getting some reinforcements a bit quicker. The plan is simple. Each Gren Platoon uses all of its firepower on one platoon at a time to cut them down quick. Other wise, hold the line and hope for the Panthers.

TURN 1

Red Devils Step Off

Germans wait paitently

COMBAT CASUALTY SUMMARY

Crazed Loon's Commandos

The front of a farm house will need some repars....

KG VonThrock

TURN 1 SUMMARY

Crazed Loon's Commandos: Bum rush forward at the double across the line. Naval observer takes up position in one of the farm houses, able to safely hunker down. KG VonThrock: I shoot at the naval observer, alot. And alot of nothing happens.

TURN 2

Brit's continue the advance across the front.

First Blood!

COMBAT CASUALTY SUMMARY

Crazed Loon's Commandos

The front of a farm house will need some repars....

Far Left Commando Plt: 2 Stands

Mid Left Commando Plt: 1 Stand

Far Right Commando Plt: 2 Stands

KG VonThrock

TURN 2 SUMMARY

Crazed Loon's Commandos: I move forward again under the cover of darkness. Of course, while I'm close enough to shoot in some cases, I forget about LOS rules that require me to keep an inch between teams to shoot between them so my firepower is reduced and I dont do much at all. KG VonThrock: I start pouring fire into the far left and far right platoons and score two kills on each. Some of my troops on the left are ill position to pour in the same far left platoon so they suck it up and kill a stand in the middle left platoon.

TURN 3

Brits move up to the church

And take a beating across the line

COMBAT CASUALTY SUMMARY

Crazed Loon's Commandos

The front of a farm house will need some repars....

Far Left Commando Plt: 6 Stands

Mid Left Commando Plt: 1 Stand

Far Right Commando Plt: DESTROYED

Mid Right Commando Plt: 2 Stands

KG VonThrock

TURN 3 SUMMARY

Crazed Loon's Commandos: Night spotting rolls keep my arty out of the game for a third turn in a row. I move up 6" and shoot innefectually at Throck's dug in Grens. KG VonThrock: SOLID. While I didn't get any of my reserves (I think VonThroken was taking a nap...) The far left platoon is reduced to just the command and attached PIAT platoon. The Far right Platoon takes a beating and runs. I'm able to deplete one of the mid platoons as well. It's early, but it looks like the assault is starting to peter out.

TURN 4

Red Devils Dig In

Panthers Show Up!

COMBAT CASUALTY SUMMARY

Crazed Loon's Commandos

The front of a farm house will need some repars....

Far Left Commando Plt: 6 Stands

Mid Left Commando Plt: 1 Stand

Far Right Commando Plt: DESTROYED

Mid Right Commando Plt: DESTROYED

KG VonThrock

Left PzrGren Platoon: 2 Stands, 1 Track

TURN 4 SUMMARY

Crazed Loon's Commandos: I've taken a ton of wounds, it's time to get defensive, dig in and hope for the best with the arty. Night is still around but my arty can finally see the Krauts. I score two stands and a half track from the left Panzer Gren platoon, but sadly the transports don't run. KG VonThrock: PANTHERS ON THE TABLE... Sorry for the caps, it's just happy making. Loon is digging in, right, this could be a pain. My left panzer grens are pinned through the turn and the reduced firepower comes at a bad time. I'm able to run off another team on the right leaving one under strength commando platoon near the church and the balance of his forces on the right.

TURN 5

Panthers no more

Grens on the Left Move In to the Church

Tactical situation on the German right at the end of turn 5

COMBAT CASUALTY SUMMARY

Crazed Loon's Commandos

The front of a farm house will need some repars....

Far Left Commando Plt: 6 Stands

Mid Left Commando Plt: 1 Stand

Far Right Commando Plt: DESTROYED

Mid Right Commando Plt: DESTROYED

KG VonThrock

Left PzrGren Platoon: 2 Stands, 1 Track

Panthers: DESTROYED

TURN 5 SUMMARY

Crazed Loon's Commandos: Dawn breaks and Typhoons launch from a rear air base. They Score 3 dead panthers and the 4th run off. Best news of the day. Typhoon's do their thing on the clumped up Panthers and remove 750 points in one fell swoop. Pure Hotness. Throck refuses to move out of his fox holes on the right of the board allowing my artillery to stay ranged in but they do no harm. KG VonThrock: Guh... That was heart breaking... My hatred for Loon is now in full bloom as my mortars make it on to the table. I move my left hand platoons, now freed up having succesfully reduced his left flank, into the church to start trying to take out the heavily dug commandos on the right. To no avail. Hitting dug in infantry is hard. Now I know how Loon feels.

TURN 6

Brits Push In to the German Right facing fire from the line and the large building at the cross roads.

COMBAT CASUALTY SUMMARY

Crazed Loon's Commandos

The front of a farm house will need some repars....

Far Left Commando Plt: 6 Stands

Mid Left Commando Plt: 2 Stands

Far Right Commando Plt: DESTROYED

Mid Right Commando Plt: DESTROYED

Center Commando Plt: 1 Stand

KG VonThrock

Left PzrGren Platoon: 3 Stands, 2 Tracks

Panthers: DESTROYED

Right PzrGren Platoon: 1 Stand, 1 Track

TURN 6 SUMMARY

Crazed Loon's Commandos: OK, it's turn 6 and I've only got one man over the deployment line. It's time to get aggressive. I drop shoot into the right Grens with one full and two depelted squads and then smoke 'em. We up the action and head into the jaws of the dug in german position. And.... Are pushed back, no longer dug in, worrisome. KG VonThrock: 88's get on the board (what evs...) I unload into the platoons but that lucky brit makes a huge number of saves... Drat.

TURN 7

The brits, deeply depleted

COMBAT CASUALTY SUMMARY

Crazed Loon's Commandos

The front of a farm house will need some repars....

Far Left Commando Plt: 6 Stands

Mid Left Commando Plt: 3 Stands

Far Right Commando Plt: DESTROYED

Mid Right Commando Plt: DESTROYED

Center Commando Plt: DESTROYED

KG VonThrock

Left PzrGren Platoon: 3 Stands, 2 Tracks

Panthers: DESTROYED

Right PzrGren Platoon: 1 Stand, 1 Track

TURN 7 SUMMARY

Crazed Loon's Commandos: More arty kills more PanzerGren but the left grens keep their morale in check and stick around. KG VonThrock: OK, I need to kill one fricking platoon for him to start making company checks... I unload on the (nearly full) platoon near the church and take them out! WEWT, next turn victory will be mine!

TURN 8

And single british stand remains in the German Deployment area

Grens move in for the kill

COMBAT CASUALTY SUMMARY

Crazed Loon's Commandos

The front of a farm house will need some repars....

Far Left Commando Plt: 6 Stands

Mid Left Commando Plt: DESTROYED

Far Right Commando Plt: DESTROYED

Mid Right Commando Plt: DESTROYED

Center Commando Plt: DESTROYED

KG VonThrock

Left PzrGren Platoon: 3 Stands, 2 Tracks

Panthers: DESTROYED

Right PzrGren Platoon: 3 Stand, 2 Track

TURN 8 SUMMARY

Crazed Loon's Commandos: Ha! Passed it! Waiting for the invetable with the standard british determiniation. Arty takes out some more Grens. KG VonThrock: He passed it! And that one fricking stand is dug in. I simply can't kill it with guns, I move in for the kill with the assault.

TURN 9

COMBAT CASUALTY SUMMARY

Crazed Loon's Commandos

The front of a farm house will need some repars....

Far Left Commando Plt: 6 Stands

Mid Left Commando Plt: DESTROYED

Far Right Commando Plt: DESTROYED

Mid Right Commando Plt: DESTROYED

Center Commando Plt: DESTROYED

KG VonThrock

Left PzrGren Platoon: 3 Stands, 2 Tracks

Panthers: DESTROYED

Right PzrGren Platoon: 3 Stand, 2 Track

TURN 9 SUMMARY

Crazed Loon's Commandos: Yeah, failed it that time. Game ends on a failed morale check by my last stand. KG VonThrock: GG Bro.

LOON: The commando push was stopped by some very good spotting distances by Throck and some very bad spotting distances by my arty. That left Throck at a big advantage as the butchered commandos could not put up a reasonable fight once they made the advance. I found the mortars in general a waste of points which could easily go to other things. I lacked a hard unit which could stand up to concentrated infantry fire power a tank team might be worth a try next game.
THROCK: Those last few turns were frustrating. Dug in infantry is rough dig out. And I was a dumbkopf for leaving all of my Panthers able to be bombarded by a single plane. Heart breaking to lose them. The lesson here though is that Panzer Grens can dish out a hell of a lot of fire power with those half tracks esentially acting as an extra (if a little fragile) 4 platoons of MG teams. It's a serious amount of shots and today, they served me quite well.

Oh crikey! That, by all accounts was one very brutal effort by the Parachute RGT to crash the lines. Despite some naval bombardment, it was obvious that they were notoriously underequipped to do that! Still; They did take out some dangerous Panthers. As for Throck! His time will come, and for the Axis, there's some pain from the Black Watch to come. Bristol's surrounded, but it's not out!

Bad news; Everyone! ( why do I sound like that professer from 'Futurama'?) The Axis have pulled out a victory over the allies in a small village on the B3157 road to Dorchester. The name of the place - Chickerell, some 6 miles from Weymouth and a good 15 - 20 miles from Dorchester, itself! The current situation started with a clash between the M18/3" Hellcats of the Black Watch and the recon platoon of the Kampfengruppen Tottenhauffen, once defeated the Black Watch threw in two platoons of four Shermans, including two Fireflies, the situation has provoked a withdraw back to Dorchester, by holding forces on the coast, West of Weymouth and Portland.Initial: Axis 4. Allied: 2. Main Battles: Axis: 7 & 8 Allied: 2 & 2. Overall outcome: Axis 19. Allied: 7. Just thought you should also know, that the Irish Guards are going to have a go at turfing out the Axis, next week of the 17th July from Chickerell. All best: Stephen Farthing (PS: Please sing "When Irish Eyes are smiling!" The Irish Guards will need all the luck they can get!)

"++++ Your transmission acknowledged!+++ Will approach from the North, via back route farmtracks +++ The Black Watch we have tangled with on a few previous occasions +++ Hold position and report movements +++ REPEAT: report enemy movements!! We will join you in 1 hour..+++ Over and out!!!+++"

So. Von Throck - old chap - NOW we know where the main push came from that forced the above defeat of the Parachute RGT in this Somerset battle. The answer was a two pronged advance from Torquay and Weymouth, and also Poole and Bournemouth as well! Though if the Irish Guards are successful - and this I will do so and report -the allied forces may STILL prevail. But there's possibly worse to come.. There's a rumour that the Tiger 1E's of the 40th Heavy Panzerabeleitung are on the prowl in the general area, and the Irish Guards will have to try and dislodge them out of Chickerell in Dorset.

That's NO picnic, and perhaps there will have to be, an attempt by the Black Watch Tank Destroyers to reduce their numbers a bit, beforehand. A skirmish between three M18/3" Hellcats and two Tiger 1E's a toughie for sure!

Stephen Farthing - Your Reporter in the area of the West Country of England.